Life of a Doctor
by Tia Ordona 23
Summary: NB, Markuscentric. Accidents didn't seem to faze him anymore...but on that night, Dr. Markus Vaughn learned what it was like when you weren't the surgeon. Oneshot, my first Trauma Center fic!


Oh, wow. A Trauma Center fic? **My very first one, so please be gentle! **Yep, that's all I really have to say. No, scratch that. I forgot to mention I didn't play Second Opinion. Not that it really matters with New Blood, but…

Geez, I hope Markus isn't too OOC. 'Twas kinda hard making a Markus-centric. I just can't find a way into his mind…he's so…different. Oh well! We still love him anyway!

Keep in mind I had to write this! It was swimming in my head for some time now. Those stupid, evil gears were turning like crazy and y'know…out it came on Microsoft Word. Wow, this note's long. Let's get on to the story!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Trauma Center…which is good because if I did then it wouldn't be amazing!**

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Operating rooms. It was amazing what could actually go on there.

Sure, they didn't look like much. Just like a room with a bed and a monitor and a few tools and a really bright light. No big deal.

But Dr. Markus Vaughn had operated in so many different places, some just downright bizarre, that he fully appreciated the white-glove tested, perfectly sterile operating rooms.

Still though, where there was an operating room, he did have to work. And work just wasn't his thing. He would appreciate one full night's sleep, for crying out loud! But he had said it himself…this was the life of a doctor. Seeing his patients and curing them of illness…as much as he hated to admit it to his colleague, Dr. Valerie Blaylock, this was what he lived for and _nothing _could change that.

It was no surprise when, just as Markus was about to go home for the first night in three days, Elena, the nurse he worked with, hurried into his office, her face looking panicked.

"Dr. Vaughn!" she exclaimed, making him violently jump and drop half of his belongings on the floor. "You're needed in Operating Room 3! There's been an accident and a man has been critically injured!"

Markus sighed and suppressed an eye-roll. Situations like these didn't faze him anymore, though anyone that wasn't in the medical field would most likely panic. He quickly scooped up his dropped items, thinking over and over again, _Life of a doctor…life of a doctor…_

The thoughts seeped into his head. "I'll be right down!" he said to Elena, who nodded frantically and quickly went through the door she had come from, heading down to prepare to assist the operation.

Markus changed into scrubs as quickly as he could. He had been working at Caduceus for a little over a month, now, and he knew only so well that the equipment and the people were always prepared for an emergency.

He exited the door, turned on his heel, and swiftly found himself half jogging down the long, white hallway, checking his watch all the while. He was very positive that Valerie was giving the patient sterilizer now. Good old Val, always on time and ready for work. He was pretty sure he would receive a thorough beating later for being late, but she always knew where the limits were. Good old Val…

"Oof!" He felt a sharp tug on his scrubs that made him stagger backwards several feet. Strange…it came from by his calf, almost like a little kid had done it. And nobody was supposed to be there…

"Oh…um…I'm sorry…" came a small, awkward voice. "I didn't mean to…"

_What the hell? _Markus thought, looking down from the source of the tugging. He was shocked out of his mind to see a small girl…she looked no older than the age of six, and here she was, standing in the hall that was _supposed _to be guarded so nobody could get in. Brilliant job, security.

"Um…hi," said Markus awkwardly, looking as confused as he felt. The small girl lowered her head. She looked rather dirty and scruffy, with a few minor lesions to her skin. But upon closer inspection, in the blindingly white light, he managed to see something else on her face. They were shiny, thick rivulets that pooled from her eyes…tears.

"I'm sorry…I know I shouldn't be here…" she whispered, her voice barely audible, even through the silence of the atmosphere. "I…you…" She bit back a sob.

Markus had no idea what to do. So some little kid was crying…what he supposed to do? Valerie had always dealt with these kinds of things, and she was probably impatiently tapping her foot in the operating room, and checking her watch every three nanoseconds.

"Can I…help you?" he asked stupidly, letting some of his instincts do the talking.

"Please…you…you can't let Daddy die! Please, please save him! My mother died, and he's the only family I have left!" she managed to spit out before she began to sob and pull on his scrubs.

Very, very slowly, Markus bent down and put one arm around the girl's shaking shoulders. She felt so small in frail in his slight embrace…he could feel the bones of her shoulders. And at that moment, he felt a terrible, aching sympathy for those who had someone loved get in an accident.

"I'm sorry…" the girl choked, her face half buried in his scrubs, which were a little wet from her tears.

"Shhh," Markus shushed her, surprising himself. "Don't worry about it. And don't worry about your dad either…he's in good hands. He's going to be fine."

For the first time that night, the little girl smiled at him, before wiping her tears off her face. "Thank you so much. Take good care of him," she reminded Markus. And Markus just smiled and stood up, before opening the door to the operating room and admitting himself.

A simple accident didn't get Markus uptight. It didn't faze him. But on that night, he began to understand what happened when someone loved was in an accident. Through their panic people began to lose their common sense. And that was the true life of a doctor…to see patients and cure them of illness.

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Urgh…that was short. Oh well. I was happy with the turnout. Yep! Well, let me know how I did on my first fic…aka review on your way out!


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